Flush-valve ball



y 3, 1956 A. SCHNEIDER ET AL 2,752,608

FLUSH-VALVE BALL Filed July 2, 1954 INVENTOR. ZILBEQT Sam/H0625 BY [24w 507M676 Mal/,1

United States Patent FLUSH-VALVE BALL Albert Schneider, University Heights, and Irlin Botnick, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Irlin Botnick, Cleveland, Ohio Application July 2, 1954, Serial No. 440,972

1 Claim. (Cl. 457) This invention relates to ball valves for the flush tanks of toilets.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a ball valve for toilet flush tanks that operates with a wiping or rotative motion at the moment of sealing.

Another object is to provide a valve of the type stated having propeller blades formed integral therewith, which impart a rotative action to the valve when dropped into sealing position in the water flowing through the tank outlet.

A further object is to provide a ball valve having a replaceable seat engaging portion.

Still another object is to provide such a valve that has a plurality of orifices leading into the interior of the ball, which provide adequate drainage for the cavity while overcoming the resistance to floatation offered by balls having a single wide open mouth.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification and claim, together with the accompanying drawing, wherein like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the assembled ball valve that is the subject of this invention, together with its associated rod and seat, with portions broken away and in section to show the relation of the ball valve and seat when in sealing position;

Figure 2 is a sectional perspective view of the bottom portion of the ball valve taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 22 of the Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the valve; and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the stem and propeller blades taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 44 of the Figure 1.

Conducive to a better understanding of this invention, it may be well to point out that the action of the conventional ball valve is such that upon release the ball falls directly downward into the valve seat. The ball therefore seats itself as it happens to strike the seat at the moment of contact. Any grit, sand or dirt on the seat is compressed between the flexible wall of the ball and the metal seat. If the foreign matter is large enough, an imperfect seal is formed resulting in a constant drip until the next flushing cycle. By providing structure on the ball that is acted upon, as it falls into place, by the water in the tank, rotation is imparted to the ball so that it meets the valve seat with a sweeping action that clears the seat of foreign matter just prior to closure. Furthermore, the provision of a replaceable bottom portion to the valve reduces the cost of maintenance, since the element that receives all the wear, that is the lower portion, can be easily and quickly attached to or removed from the permanent upper metal portion, as described hereinafter.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Figure 1 shows the assembled ball valve made up of the upper or cap portion 12 and the flexible bottom portion 10 as it appears attached to a typical valve rod 11 in sealing position on a valve seat 16 of a flush tank outlet 15.

The cap or upper closure portion 12 is semi-spherical in 2,752,608 Patented July 3, 1956 "ice 2 shape with a flattened top. This closure portion is fabricated from a suitable rigid non-corrosive material such as copper, brass, aluminum or one of the plastic materials now available. An outwardly extending channeled flange 13 is formed integral therewith and extends entirely around the lower peripheral edge thereof. The cap has a threaded socket for the reception of the valve suspension rod 11, which is common to all such flushing assemblies.

Reference numeral 10 indicates the convex bottom portion of the valve which is made of a flexible material, such as soft rubber, that may be easily deformed to adapt itself to the contours of its associated valve seat 16 as seen in Figure 1. The walls of the hollow bottom portion 10 are made relatively thin so that they may be easily flexed. An inwardly extending peripheral rim 14 is positioned at the top of the element 10 and formed integral therewith. This rim 14 is of substantially greater thickness than the side walls and acts as a stiffener for the bottom portion 10. The diameter and width of the rim 14 is such that it will tightly and resiliently engage the channel 13 of the cap 12 when the upper and lower portions are joined to form the complete ball valve as seen in Figure 1. It will thus be seen that the bottom portion 10 of the ball, which receives all the wear, may be easily and economically replaced from time to time.

Referring more particularly to Figures 2, 3 and 4, it will be seen that the bottom portion 10 has a dependent stem 17 formed integral therewith at its vertical axis. This stem has a central bore 18 therethrough which communicates with the hollow interior of the valve.

Reference numerals 20, 21 and 22 indicate propeller blades formed integral with the stem 17. These blades extend both radially and vertically of the outer face of the stem 17. In addition, the configuration 0f the blades is such that they extend spirally of the stem at an angle of approximately 30 to its long or central axis represented by the bore 18. The upper ends 20b, 21b and 22b of the blades abut the bottom portion 10 at the stem 17. Due to the angular disposition of the blades 20, 21 and 22 the lower edges 20b, 21b and 22b are displaced circumferentially of the stem 17 with reference to the upper edges 20a, 21a and 22a respectively.

It will thus be evident that as the valve falls vertically through the water in the outlet 15, during the sealing cycle, the upward thrust of the water against the blades 20, 21 and 22 will cause them to be displaced laterally thus imparting a rotative motion to the valve ball.

In addition to the vertical angular disposition of the blades, they also are angularly disposed to the stem 17 in regard to their front and rear faces. By referring to Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that the front or leading face of each blade forms an acute angle with the face of the stem 17, while the rear or following face forms an obtuse angle therewith. Thus, water swirling through the valve opening 16 will be trapped between the leading faces of the blades and the stem, which will also impart a rotative reaction to the valve ball. Since the rear faces of the blades form obtuse angles with the stem, resistance to rotation is reduced to a minimum on the following faces, as the water can flow smoothly across them.

The structure just described provides a valve ball that will be rotated by water passing either at an angle to its axis of suspension or parallel thereto. The rotation of the ball will cause the ball to engage the valve seat 16 with a sweeping action that insures a positive seal at all times.

In addition to the central bore 18 through the stem 17, there are openings 19 in the bottom portion 10 which also communicate with the interior of the ball. These openings are located between the propeller blades, as is seen most clearly in Figure 3. All these holes provide adequate drainage for the ball, while preventing too free entrance of water when a certain degree of buoyancy is required during the flushing cycle.

It will now be clear that there is provided a device which accomplishes the objectives heretofore set forth. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as described and illustrated herein is not to be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claim.

We claim:

A flush tank valve, comprising in combination, a flexible convex bottom portion, an upper closure portion, the said valve being hollow, a stern formed integral With said bottom portion and depending therefrom at the vertical axis thereof, and a plurality of propeller blades formed integral with said stem, extending radially and vertically thereof at an angle of 30 to its long axis, with their upper ends abutting the bottom portion of the valve, the front and rear faces of each blade defining acute and obtuse angles, respectively, with reference to the face of the stem, the said stem having a central bore therethrough communicating with the interior of the hollow valve, the said bottom portion having openings therein located between the propeller blades.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

